All advisors have immediate access to their chapter’s applications online at my.ptk.org. For an officer/member to be given access to the chapter’s applications, the advisor should report the member as a Hallmark Awards Chapter Delegate. See the instructions for How to Apply to learn how to report Hallmark Awards Delegate positions.

How many members can be assigned to write an award entry?

The team can be as large as the chapter advisor wishes, but it's better to keep teams small to make it easier to manage. The chapter advisor may choose only one person to be responsible for entering the content for the online application after it has been written and reviewed by the appropriate chapter leaders.

Can we cut and paste the entry from Word?

Yes, text can be copied and pasted into the application. However, if copying from MS Word, copy the text into Wordpad or notepad first and then copy into the application response area. This will eliminate any formatting that MS Word copies with the text. You may have to clean up some formatting of the text.

How can I format my application with bold, italics, underline, font size, etc.?

Options for formatting text within the online application software is currently not supported. Formatting will be removed from text that is pasted from another application.

Can we print the Hallmark Awards application before submitting?

Yes. Simply click on the "Download" button at the bottom of the screen for each application. Chapters are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to print the FINAL version of their application before submitting to HQ so that the chapter can archive their Hallmark Awards applications for future reference.

Who is allowed to write Hallmark Award entries?

Each award category lists the appropriate author for each nomination form. For example, the Honors in Action Project Award can only be written by chapter members/officers. For Distinguished Chapter Officer, two nomination forms are required – from a chapter member or fellow officer and a chapter advisor.

Does an advisor have to certify the application before it can be submitted?

No, the advisor no longer has to log in and certify the application. Advisors may log in at any time and view the content of the chapter’s applications.

Can an awards application be edited after it has been submitted?

Yes! The application can be updated as needed up until the specified application deadline.

Is it possible for a "project" to incorporate more than one activity?

Yes. A project can be a series of activities as long as their relevance to the project theme is clearly stated.

Can a chapter's Honors in Action Project & College Project be the same?

The Honors in Action Project and the College Project should not be the same because each one comes from a different source. The Honors in Action Project must be based on the chapter's research of a theme in the current Honors Study Topic. The College Project should be based on the college's goals, and should be determined through a collaborative meeting with the college administration.

For Honors in Action Projects, research sources are required. Do we have to include an annotated bibliography?

Yes. In listing your resources, use the format found in the Honors Program Guide bibliography for each Theme (see example below). Be consistent with and formal in the way you present the citations for your sources. While it is NOT necessary to use APA or MLA formatting for your sources, please be sure to include the author's name, title of publication, publication year, and a brief description.

For websites, provide a document title or description, a date (either the date of publication or the date of retrieval from the Internet), and a web address (URL). Whenever possible, identify the authors of a document as well.

For individual or group resources, list contact person's name, email address and/or telephone number, job title, and place of employment.

Submitting more than 8 sources is not allowed. Additional ancillary materials and/or links to those materials will not be considered for judging.

Example:
St. Amant, Mark. Committed. 2005.
St. Amant discusses fantasy football, a competitive activity for some 20 million people. He tracks progression of the hobby from its beginnings in the early 1960s to what is now a multibillion dollar business. St. Amant explains why fantasy sports capture people's attention in a culture of competition and helped us better understand their appeal.

Can we use Internet sources for our academic research?

Yes, we recommend a mix of reliable sources – including scholarly print publications, credible online resources and individuals and/or organizations who are authorities in their field. Check out the "Identifying Suspicious Resources on the Internet" video through the Five Star Competitive Edge professional development plan at my.ptk.org.

What if our Honors in Action Project addresses more than one Theme of the Honors Program Guide?

Then choose the theme that best reflects your project. To help choose the theme, consider the theme that is primarily addressed in the "action" component of your Honors in Action project.

If a member held office in the spring, but not in the fall, should he or she be nominated for the Distinguished Chapter Officer Award or for the Distinguished Chapter Member Award?

A member should be nominated for the Distinguished Chapter Officer Award if he or she held chapter office at any time between January and December 2017. Only members who did not hold office between January and December 2017 should be nominated for the Distinguished Chapter Member Award.

For the Paragon and Distinguished Advisor Awards, must the required years of service be consecutive?

No. If an advisor has a total of at least four years of service, he or she should be nominated for the Distinguished Advisor Award even if he or she left the chapter for a period of time and later resumed the advisor role. If an advisor has less than four years of service and has not previously received an international Advisor Award, he/she would be nominated for the Paragon Award.

Who is eligible for the Continued Excellence Award for Advisors?

An advisor who has already received a Distinguished Advisor Award is eligible for the Continued Excellence Award for Advisors. Once an advisor has received the Distinguished Advisor Award, he/she will be eligible for the Continued Excellence Award for Advisors the following year. Advisors are eligible to win this award every other year.

Can a chapter advisor who is serving as a college administrator be nominated for the Distinguished College Administrator Award?

No. Active chapter advisors should be nominated for an advisor award for their support of the chapter as an advisor.

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